Cable setup for Ethernet RJ45 connections
Cable setup for Ethernet RJ45 connections
The colors serve a specific purpose. Each pair of identical wires (blue, orange, green, brown) is twisted together and then covered with insulation from other pairs inside the cable. Every twist varies slightly in twists per foot or meter for added noise protection and to prevent interference from adjacent pairs. Certain pins follow color rules: pins 1 & 2 must share the same color, pins 3 & 6 likewise, pins 4 through 5 should match, and pins 7 through 8 must also be the same. Crimping Ethernet jacks is straightforward—remove about half an inch of insulation from each pair, gently untwist roughly half an inch from each twist, use a blade to trim them to uniform length, insert wires into the designated slots until the back is covered, then pull and reinsert until secured. In a well-made cable, individual wires stay tightly twisted no more than about one-third of an inch wide, matching the width of a small finger in your hand.